Multiseed Buckwheat Cookies Recipe

One of the challenges of writing a cookbook is that, for the duration of the project, most of one’s cooking energies are channeled into the book — to develop the recipes initially, and then to re-test them as often as needed to refine them.

This means that, for months and months, one’s kitchen activities are largely governed by a spreadsheet — glamorous, no? — and any tempting recipe that may be found online, in books, or in magazines, must be bookmarked or clipped and set aside for a future day, when one is no longer so engrossed in the bookwriting process.

It is a small sacrifice to make, to be sure, and seeing the collection of original recipes grow makes up for it tenfold, but still: I have reached the point where I am just about done with the recipe testing, and it feels lovely to dip my toes into spontaneous waters again.

I couldn’t stop thinking about these crisp little numbers until I finally allowed myself to bake a batch last week.

I read about today’s crisp little numbers, rich with seeds and nut butters, on Clea’s blog a month ago, and I couldn’t stop thinking about them until I finally allowed myself to bake a batch last week, for no other reason than my needing a break one afternoon and baking cookies seeming the perfect way to make it count.

I altered the recipe slightly: I had run out of eggs so I used ground and soaked flax seeds instead (a classic vegan trick); I doubled the amount of seeds; I added salt; I used part wheat flour and part buckwheat flour; and I forgot to add the olive oil, but found I didn’t miss it, though it would likely help the cookies keep longer if you chose to use it (Clea adds 2 tablespoons).

I’ve found these to be just the thing to scratch the itch for a small treat, with or without a square of bittersweet chocolate, while I read and re-read and edit and tighten up my manuscript, and they are definitely joining these walnut and date cookies in my budding repertoire of easy yet delicious vegan cookies. What are some of your favorites in that category?

Put the ground flax seeds in a small bowl, cover with 80 ml (1/3 cup) water, and set aside until gelled up and set.

In a medium bowl, combine the seeds, flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat together the gelled up flax seeds, sugar, and nut butters until smooth. Fold in the flour mixture, adding a little water as needed for the dough to come together. It should be sticky, but without excess.

Transfer the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and roll it up into a log, about 4 cm (1 1/2") in diameter. Place the log in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until firm enough to slice neatly.

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Cut the log of dough into slices, about 1 cm (1/3") in thickness, and place them on the prepared sheet, giving them a little space to expand.

Bake for 15 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Although their texture is best the day they're made, the cookies will keep for a few days in an airtight container at room temperature.

These look delicious! I saw the picture and thought “There’s no way these can be vegan”…. but they were. I think I have everything in the pantry already, so I will make these very soon. I love your vegan and easily-veganized creations – I’ve made your lovely Apple-Cumin lentil salad several times. Thank you for the new recipe!

http://theshadypine.blogspot.com/ Anna @ the shady pine

That’s a great tip about using the Oakes flaxseeds. These look really wholesome and delicious.

Ada

Yay, another use for the bag of buckwheat flour in my pantry! If you substitute the cup of wheat flour for some combination of gluten-free flours, you can make these vegan *and* gluten-free, which is awesome for people with multiple allergies/intolerances.

http://www.cookies-in-motion.com Trinh

This is an awesome recipe. Thanks!

These cookies will add quite a different flavor to those I usually bake. I plan to bake them soon, and post the experience on my site.

I will likely use all peanut butter and whole wheat flour. I hope that they will be just as good.

Nell

These look delicious, thank you for sharing the recipe! Do you think it might be possible to use chia seed in place of flax seed as an egg substitute?

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

I’ve never tried it myself, but I read that chia seeds can be used in the same way. Do let us know if you try it!

Nell

Update: I tried this recipe with 2 tablespoons of freshly ground chia seeds in place of the flax seeds today and it worked great!

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

Great to hear, Neil, thanks for reporting back!

http://lacaffettierarosa.wordpress.com Caffettiera

Buckwheat works an unexpected magic in baking. Currently my favourite (non vegan and definitely decadent) cookies include buckwheat flour, it is a recipe of Kim Boyce. And Clea is always a temptation as well, although a healtier one.

I’m also thinking this flax seed tricks could be used to another recipe of Clea’s, the pumpkin and walnut biscotti… I’ll have to investigate.

I made a similar recipe from Peter Reinhart’s wholewheat bread book this weekend except it was a cracker instead of a cookie. So no sugar, peanut and almond butter. His recipe said to grind some of the seeds in a food processor to make flour. Didn’t know that was a vegan trick but should have known. You roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick and after baking you can sprinkle with various herb salts or use a honey glaze. I used the honey glaze and also the cinnamon sugar — I think I should have rolled them a litter thinner though but they are interesting tasting. They would be great to take along on a hike.

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

Sounds wonderful, thanks for sharing!

Dora

Sissy / Clotilde — I was wondering if I could adapt this recipe to make crackers instead of cookies: eliminate the sugar (or use only a very small amount) and slice the dough very thin. Would I have to eliminate the nut butters as well? Perhaps the nut butters would make the “crackers” soft because of their high oil content?

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

I haven’t tried it so I can’t offer much guidance, but I think it’s worth a try. I don’t anticipate that the nut butters would be a problem — most crackers have oil in them. Do report back if you try it!

http://moonswordschamber.blogspot.com/ nik

ohgoodgolly! As a seed-loving vegan with a big jar of almond butter just opened, I’m dancing with glee at this recipe! These look so good…Many thanks!

http://www.castlewoodtc.com Haylee Isaacson

um, I love these. Probably the healthiest cookies I’ve made in a long time.

Deb

What an exceptionally beautiful and interesting food blog. I only discovered you last week and have already made 6 recipes from this site. The Buckwheat cookies are next on my list. Your style of recipes and the ingredients you use are exactly where my culinary interests lie. I am so excited to find you. Many thanks Clotilde

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

Thank you for your kind message, Deb, it means a lot!

http://www.chillilovesmalli.blogspot.com Malli

Amazing looking cookies! I love the addition of extra flax seed to compensate for the eggs, and that inside looks absolutely moist and deeelish!!

Bella

Why do you replace 2 tbsps flax seeds with SIX tbsps of preground? I want to give these a go, have only ground flax at home, and want to make sure I have it right. Thanks Coltilde for a lovely blog!

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

When you grind whole flax seeds, they fluff up significantly, and whole flax seeds yield 3 times their volume in ground flax seeds. It’s the same with almonds and almond meal: the latter takes up more volume than the former for the same weight. I do want to note that even if that wasn’t right, it wouldn’t really be a problem to use a bit more flax than I do.

http://blog.muffinegg.com Rachel

Now this is my kind of cookie! I love all the good stuff in these! I was about to list some favorite vegan cookies but couldnt think of any. I guess I need some recipes!

liz

I made these and subsituted Teff flour for the buckwheat- the teff seems to pair with the nut butter quite well. I really enjoyed them for breakfast!

http://aladyinfrance.com Lady Jennie

Congrats on your cookbook! :-)

I’ll try these with a gluten free substitute. We’re already halfway there with the buckwheat. And it’s usually hard to find good recipes for this strange tasting flour apart from galettes.

http://www.lovesdelights.co.uk/cake-shop/ Danielle Love

What a neat trick with the seeds, never tried that before, thanks for sharing the tip. x

http://craftinggreen-lily.blogspot.com/ Lily

Thanks for sharing this recipe – I look forward to trying it with gluten-free flour since we are suspecting my daughter is intolerant of gluten, and she is missing baked goods most of all.

marjorie

Why is there baking powder in those cookies ? I mean, I thought baking powder start to react when in contact with the wet ingredients, so if the dough has to rest for 30 minutes to one hour, will the baking powder have any effect when you put the cookies in the oven ?

PS : Even if I’m not at all writing a cookbook, I’m in a hard-working period and all my cooking energies are devoted to my lunches and dinners … I hope to have a little time to try this recipe this weekend !

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

What is commonly sold as “baking powder” nowadays is actually “double-acting baking powder”, which starts to react first when in contact with wet elements (though that reaction is slowed down at cold temperatures, such as in the fridge, or here, the freezer) and again when heated. This is why it is so common for cookie recipes to have baking powder in their ingredients and still require a refrigerating period. Hope your hard-working period allows you to take a break soon!

marjorie

Thank you very much for your interesting and kind answer :-) I am used to make my own baking powder, following a recipe from David Lebovitz’s blog. As it works perfectly well for cakes, I abandoned store-bought baking powder ; but I have never used the homemade one in a recipe of this kind. I guess it’s time to experiment now!

http://cookingscraps.wordpress.com CookingScraps

These look like a perfect snack to take while hiking! Thanks, I cannot wait to try them!

http://www.reviewsofblenders.com Nichole

These look amazing and not too hard to make. I’ll have to try it!

http://Www.cucinaconrob.it Ron

They are so beaufiful, but where can I find almond butter (in Italy)? Otnerwise what can I use?

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

I can’t really advise on where to buy nut butters in Italy, but Sara Rosso seems to find them difficult to procure. In France, they are available from organic foods stores. Perhaps you have access to one of those? If you don’t, there isn’t really a good substitution, but you can make your own nut butters in a sturdy food processor: the same blogger tells you how. Hope that helps!

http://www.roastedrootfood.com Julia {The Roasted Root}

A friend of mine makes great buckwheat pancakes. She was worried the flavor would deter her kids from eating them, but nope, they loved them! I myself have never used buckwheat, but I like the nutritional value of it and the idea of making a nice cookie out of the flour sounds great! Thanks for the idea!

rene

Hi – where did you get the dish and the bowl? they looks so beautiful!

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

Thanks Rene! The dish is a gift my sister got me in Frankfurt a good ten years ago, and the bowl I got at a flea market in Kyoto. Not very helpful, is it? :)

http://www.ferdakost.com Marion

I’m so happy for you! It must be so cool to write your own cookbook :) I love buckwheat, but it’s so expensive in Norway and doesn’t taste like the buckwheat I had in Bretagne, so I usually skip buckwheat-recipes, but I might just try this one. It looks really good! :)

PS: Your blog is great.

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

If buckwheat flour is difficult to find or expensive, feel free to use another type of flour with an interesting flavor, such as spelt, rye, etc.

http://www.in-homeculinaryclasses.blogspot.com Vicki Bensinger

These sound delicious and healthy. I’ll look forward to your book when it comes out. Any idea at this time when you think it will hit the bookstores?

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

Thanks for asking! There is no official pub date at this time, but it should be in the late spring of 2013.

http://www.myhealthyeatinghabits.com Mireya @myhealthyeatinghabits

Thanks for the tip about the ground flax seeds for substituting egg.

Jim

I periodically grind about a half cup of flax seeds and keep the fluffy material in a mason jar in the freezer. Then I can quickly take out some ground flax for yogurt, baking, or whatever I may have the whim for. I know exactly where the next six tablespoons are going now!

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

That’s an excellent suggestion. I tend to grind the seeds whenever I need them in recipes, so I rarely bother if it’s just for yogurt or a salad. I’ll follow your lead and do that, too!

http://lemontarteinparis.blogspot.com Lemon

It must be so exciting writing a cookbook. Your cookies look great, yum.

http://sweetpeastulsiandtea.blogspot.com/ Breige

These look scrumptious…Thank you as always for another inspiring recipe!

Jenny

I’m in Spain with a similar problem with nut butters. I have had good luck in health food stores and shops which stock ingredients for Latinos (maybe you have as many Argentinos as we do?) I just made these substituting tahini for almond butter with no problem.

annieD

Clotilde,if I don’t have flax seeds can I just beat one egg into the batter for good results? Thanks!

I thought I grabbed the buckwheat flour – after I put it in I realized it was the amaranth flour – still good!!!

http://www.diros.de Русская Германия

Amazing looking cookies! I love the addition of extra flax seed to compensate for the eggs, and that inside looks absolutely moist and deeelish!!

http://www.TheNewCareerist.com terri

They look great to me. Anyone try them on kids???

ash

Hey Clotilde, what is the texture of these cookies? I don’t think you mentioned it… I was wondering if they were on the softer, cakier side, or more chewy?

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

I would describe them as cakey in the middle and crisp around the rim.

ash

Thanks for the information! So I’ve made these cookies using all buckwheat flour (grinding buckwheat into a coarse meal) and using half brown rice syrup (which contributes to a crisp, golden edge) and half brown sugar. I shaped the dough into a log and sliced off cookies to bake. They are gorgeous – really good and full of good fat/protein for snacking purposes. I still can’t decide whether I like them a little cakier (sliced thick) or really crunchy (sliced really thin). Thanks for a lovely recipe (:

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

So glad to hear you liked those, Ash, thanks for sharing your version!

http://www.easyrecipesland.com Grandma Kat @ Easy Recipes Land

This is going to be a great recipe to make when my family comes to visit this weekend.

So, thanks for posting it! ;-)

Grandma Kat XOXOXOXOXO

julieta

Dear Clotilde, Do you think I could use coconut oil in place of the nut butters?

Thanks!

http://chocolateandzucchini.com clotilde

Hm. I’m wondering about that. Coconut oil has more fat content than nut butters, so it wouldn’t be a one-to-one substitution, but if I were to try it I would maybe start with 3 tablespoons coconut oil? Let me know what you end up doing!

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About Clotilde

Clotilde Dusoulier is a French food writer based in Paris. Her focus is on fresh, colorful, and seasonal foods, making room for both wholesome, nourishing dishes and sweet treats.

An enthusiastic explorer of flavors and observer of culinary trends, she contributes to international food and travel magazines, and writes cookbooks and guidebooks. She lives in Montmartre with her boyfriend and their young son. Learn more »